


Summer In Peaceful Pines

by nanicowritesstuff



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Rating is subject to change, dangerously close to a self insert not gonna lie, maybe with some movieverse reference thrown in there, might be some spicy stuff in there later!, mix of musicalverse and cartoonverse!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22214899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanicowritesstuff/pseuds/nanicowritesstuff
Summary: Just when the Deetzes and the Maitlands are settling into their new (after) lives, a strange and timid newcomer unknowingly throws off the balance by doing the one thing you probably want to avoid ever doing: capturing Beetlejuice's attention. (Beetlejuice x OFC!)
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Welcome Home!

''Don't even think about it.''

Beetlejuice raised his head away from the window in alarm, turning to face the source of the reprimand he'd just received. Lydia wasn't even looking at him, nose stuck in her book as if she hadn't spoken at all. 

''C'mon, Lyds!'' He complained, gesturing helplessly at nothing in particular. Lydia didn't respond past a subtle quirk of her brow, which told him all he needed to know. ''Spoilsport.'' He huffed, peeking his head out once more. The newcomer he'd been eyeing up was still standing awkwardly in the driveway, as if she was debating approaching the front door at all. 

She was a pale, pathetic looking thing. Certainly taller than Lydia, but scrawny and bespectacled. Pretty much exactly what he'd expected when he heard why she was moving into the Deetz-Maitland residence in the first place. Lydia told Beetlejuice of this new arrival a few weeks in advance. Delia's recently orphaned niece was coming to stay with the Deetzes for an indefinite period of time, and he was warned that under no circumstances were he or the Maitlands permitted to reveal themselves to her. 

''At least not until she's comfortable.'' Lydia had said firmly, to which the Maitlands had been agreeable. Beetlejuice, not so much. He'd kicked up such a fuss about not being able to terrorize their new housemate that Lydia had threatened to banish him to her mirror. That was the only thing that would shut him up for awhile.

Grumpily, he watched Delia's niece shuffle her feet and turn back to see if the taxi she'd arrived in was still there. She seemed to panic upon realizing it had peeled off, as if she'd been planning to hop back in and go… _Where_ exactly? Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. 

''She's just standin' there!'' He groaned, smacking his head against the window sill. Lydia still didn't look up. She turned a few pages in her book before bothering to respond.

''Maybe she can sense that _someone_ is being a creep and watching her from the windows.''

''You know me, babes, certified creepo!'' Beetlejuice boasted, prompting the girl to shake her head. Before she could comment on the fact that this was nothing to be proud of, the doorbell rang. ''I'll get i-''

''LYYDIAA!'' Delia's shrill call for her stepdaughter interrupted the poltergeist, and he scowled and juiced away his ears melodramatically. ''Come meet Marcie!'' Lydia hopped off of her bed, tossing her book aside and jamming her feet into her slippers.

''COMING!'' She shouted back. ''You stay up here.'' She told Beetlejuice, waggling a finger at him in warning.

''Yeah, yeah.'' He grunted. He watched as she took her leave and shut the door behind her, then waited for her footsteps to descend until he couldn't hear them anymore. He rubbed his hands together devilishly, snickering under his breath. The Ghost with the Most wasted no time in juicing himself out of the room for some well deserved (?) mischief. Time to cook up something to welcome Little Miss Nerdbird!

* * *

Downstairs, Delia and her niece were sitting on the sofa. Lydia was surprised to find that Marcie was absolutely nothing like Delia at all. She was pale and frail, with big brown eyes and dark hair styled in a pixie cut. She was older than Lydia, too, and although she had a bit of a baby face it was obvious that she had a couple years on her. She almost didn't look real, like one of the many drowned souls Lydia had often seen in the Neitherworld. Unscathed but unearthly. 

''Hello! I'm Lydia.'' She greeted after a stunned silence, where Delia had looked between them nervously. Marcie blinked at her for a moment, and an awkward smile came to her lips. Lydia couldn't believe that this girl was related to her stepmom. 

''Hi…'' She replied, standing up to offer her hand for a shake. ''I'm Marceline, uh, but you can call me Marcie… It's, it's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you.'' Her voice was soft, Lydia noted, and she had a faint stutter that made her fumble with every other sentence. It was kind of cute in a way. 

''It's nice to meet you, too.'' Lydia said, gladly shaking Marcie's hand. ''I like your shirt.'' She added. Marcie seemed surprised by the compliment and looked down at her sweater. It was striped black and red, with a fuzzy moth taking up most of the front. The moth's auburn color matched the shade of her clunky aviator glasses but clashed with her pumpkin orange skirt. She looked a bit like a tacky, walking Halloween decoration, but Lydia liked the boldness of the outfit.

Another awkward smile was shot in Lydia's direction, but it seemed like that was just the older girl's default state of being. ''Uhm, I... I like your dress. It's freaky cool.'' 

''Aw, thanks!'' Lydia beamed. Usually Delia or her father would complain that she wore too much black, or that her style was too alternative. The only compliments on her wardrobe she ever got were from the Maitlands, usually in an endeared 'we love you no matter what you're wearing' type of way. Beetlejuice complained that she never wore stripes. 

So for Marcie to use the phrase 'freaky cool' to describe her outfit and seem genuine about it, well… Lydia liked her already!

* * *

Up in the attic, Barbara paced the floor while Adam tended to his miniatures. She could feel Beetlejuice moving around the house, and she was starting to get antsy. What if he pulled something while Delia's niece was here? What if he frightened her so terribly that their arrangement with the Deetz family was put in jeopardy? They were just starting to have a nice afterlife and if Beetlejuice ruined it...   
  
''You'll pace a hole through the floor, honey.'' Adam spoke up.  
  
''Oh, I just can't help it.'' Barbara sighed, chewing her thumb nail nervously. ''What if he ruins everything? What if he scares Delia's niece so bad she runs away and never comes back and they blame us and-'' She stopped short when Adam reached over to take her hand. 

''Hey,'' He said, offering her a comforting smile. ''You know Lydia would never blame us. If anything, he'll get himself in hot water and we can watch from up here.'' 

Barbara smiled back at her husband, allowing him to pull her into a hug. ''Yeah...'' She murmured, relaxing into his embrace. He always knew just what to say. ''I hope you're right.'' 


	2. First Scare

An hour or so had passed since Marcie had arrived at the Deetz-Maitland household, and Lydia was sitting at the foot of the bed in the guest room while she unpacked. She moved clumsily, constantly dropping things or tripping over her feet as she moved things around.

''So, so you really like photography? That's great!'' Marcie was telling Lydia, with the air of an encouraging older sister. It made Lydia feel special, and it wasn't as patronizing as she thought it might be. ''I'm sure your pictures are lovely.'' 

''I could show you my darkroom later if you want!'' Lydia replied, kicking her feet with uncontained enthusiasm. Marcie nodded in her direction before placing some clothes in the drawer that had been provided to her.

''I'd like that.'' She giggled, using her hand to muffle a small yawn. Lydia noticed and shimmied off of the bed to slip her shoes back on. 

''You should get some rest.'' She suggested with a smile. ''Dinner won't be for a while and you must be super tired from the trip.'' 

Marcie rubbed at one of her eyes and propped her glasses up further up her nose to keep them from being knocked off. ''Okay, I think I'll take a nap.'' She agreed, and Lydia waved goodbye before leaving the room. Marcie waited until the door shut behind the young goth before exhaling with exhaustion. She _was_ tired, but it had been so fun to talk to someone like that again. 

So maybe she wasn't the best conversationalist, but she loved to listen. It had been awhile since she had been around such a positive force. Lydia was an odd but kind soul, Marcie had quickly realized. She had the same interest in the macabre as her and it made her feel at kin almost instantly. She really hoped they would become good friends. 

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the room dropped in temperature, forcing a shiver out of her despite the season, and her thick sweater and her long socks. She rubbed her arms, surprised to find that the fabric of her sleeves was cold to the touch as well. 

''What, what's going on?'' She mumbled anxiously, turning around when she felt a presence behind her. She was still as alone in the room as she had been when Lydia left her, but the goosebumps dotting her skin and her jackhammering heartbeat disagreed with the notion. 

_No_ , Marcie thought, shaking her head firmly. She was fine, everything was fine. She was just nervous. It was only her first day here and she refused to scare herself silly with her own imagination. The cold could just be a passing chill, the presence behind her could easily be her own paranoia taking advantage of the unfamiliar situation. 

''That's right. I'm just fine.'' She said aloud, flopping over on the bed with a relieved sigh. Everything was going to be perfectly alright. Her aunt's family had been wonderful to her so far and her room was decorated so cheerfully, how could she be afraid? Besides, she wasn't a kid anymore. She was too old to believe in ghosts.

And then the wind outside howled, pushing a thin tree branch against her window so that it made a horrible scraping sound. Marcie sat up in an instant, a shrill squeak of alarm escaping her throat. It took her a moment of hyperventilation to calm down, and when she did she buried her face in her hands. 

This was going to be harder than she thought. 

* * *

''What's so funny?'' Lydia finally asked after five minutes of listening to Beetlejuice laughing to himself, folding her arms across her chest. He had been hovering in the corner while she looked through her albums for the best pictures to show Marcie, and every so often he'd burst into cackles as if he'd just told himself the funniest joke in his head.

''Oh, nothin'!''

''Hm.'' Lydia did her best to look as unconvinced as possible. 

''Whaaat? Y'know I'm a big laugher, Lyds!'' Beetlejuice couldn't even finish his own sentence before cracking up again. She squinted at him suspiciously.

''Sure, Beej. Whatever you say.''

Beetlejuice was still cracking up long after Lydia had run downstairs for dinner. He was surprised by how little it took to work Delia's niece, who was older than Lydia, into hysterics. How old  _ was  _ she, he wondered, making himself comfortable in a plush armchair that was a few feet away from Lydia's bed. She was so timid and stuttery, but he saw the way she interacted with Lydia; kind and encouraging despite her shyness. Early twenties, maybe? Late teens? 

Well, it didn't matter to him. The important detail was that she was scared easily and that was more than enough for Beetlejuice. What was stopping him from his fun as long as the Deetzes were none the wiser? He clicked his tongue with annoyance. The Maitlands. They had probably sensed his movement around the house, Barbara especially. They might already be onto him. 

''Psh, who cares?'' said the clone that he had just conjured up. ''What are they gonna do, tattle?'' 

''Uh, yeah?'' Beetlejuice scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. ''That's kind of their whole thing, dumbass.''

''Well if you're gonna call me names I'm outta here!'' The clone complained, poofing out of existence. Beetlejuice blinked. 

''What a baby.''


	3. Stolen Thoughts

Marcie lay in her bed after dinner, staring up at the ceiling and letting her mind go blank. She hadn't been this full and warm in a long time. She wanted to lay there and let the feeling last just for awhile. The incident from a couple hours ago was unceremoniously pushed to the back of her head. Lydia had been nice enough to offer her a night light when she noticed that Marcie was apprehensive about ascending the dark staircase to the second floor.

It was a sweet gesture that Marcie genuinely appreciated, but… Gosh, she was so embarrassed. She was twenty years old, for Christ's sake. She shifted to lay on her belly, staring at the twinkling star in the corner that let her see past the darkness of her room. Such a pretty and elegantly shaped light, it didn't look childish at all. Maybe that's why Lydia had given it to her. 

Marcie reached over to her night stand and opened the shallow drawer. ''...What?'' She sat up instantly when she found that it was empty. Eyes flashing with alarm, she frantically glanced around the room.

* * *

''Hey, Lyds, get a load of this!'' Beetlejuice was perched at the windowsill, flipping through a notebook too quickly to actually be reading it. Lydia rolled over on her mattress, peering at the journal in his hands.

''What's that?''

''Nerd bird's diary.''

Lydia shot up from where she lay. She was, to him, looking unexpectedly infuriated. ''Beetlejuice!'' She snapped. The Ghost with The Most immediately dropped the diary, planting his feet on the ground. He'd been only  _ slightly  _ startled by the use of his full name. ''You can't go around reading girls' diaries! You can't go around reading anyone's diary!''

''Whaaat?'' He complained, his striped outfit becoming an orange prison suit. ''You gonna lock me up for takin' that scaredy cats stuff?''

''Put it back!'' Lydia demanded, stamping her foot on the ground in frustration. ''And you better hope she hasn't noticed it's gone-'' A knock on the door interrupted her as she was finishing her sentence. She and Beetlejuice shared a panicked glance.

''Lydia,'' The soft, shaky voice in the halls proved their fears. ''May I come in?'' Beetlejuice was picking the journal up in an instant and diving under the goth girl's bed. Lydia rolled her eyes. They both knew that Marcie wouldn't be able to see him. But maybe it was best she didn't see her own diary on Lydia's floor. 

''Um, sure!'' She called back as she gathered her wits and sat back on her bed. The door creaked open slowly and Marcie peeked in. She seemed to be in a state of disarray, rounded spectacles tilted strangely and dark hair sticking out in all directions. 

''Have you seen a black hardcover notebook around anywhere?'' The older girl asked. Lydia shook her head as casually as she could manage; not too slow and not too fast. ''Oh, okay… Well, well if you see it anywhere… Um, let me know.'' 

''Yeah, of course!'' Lydia nodded vigorously and almost winced at her own eagerness. So much for subtlety. Marcie gave her an earnest smile. Beetlejuice scoffed from under Lydia's bed and the sound prompted her to kick backwards under the bed stand. He held in a hiss of pain when her heel connected with his nose and covered it up with his hand. 

''Alright, well… Goodnight, Lydia.'' Marcie said tentatively. 

''G'night, Marcie.''


End file.
